Remains Of The Day Quote by James Wood
““Even the apparently unreliable narrator is more often than not reliably unreliable. Think of Kazuo Ishiguro’s butler in The Remains of the Day, or of Bertie Wooster, or even of Humbert Humbert. We know that the narrator is being unreliable because the author is alerting us, through reliable manipulation, to that narrator’s unreliability. A process of authorial flagging is going on; the novel teaches us how to read its narrator. Unreliably””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Unreliable Narrator” by James Wood, 1994
The passage explains that some narrators are intentionally unreliable, and authors signal this to readers so they can learn to interpret the narrative critically.
In simple terms: Authors deliberately make narrators untrustworthy and guide readers to notice.
Key Takeaway
Recognize cues of unreliability and question the narrative.
Themes
literature
narrative technique
critical reading
authorial intent
Mood
analytical
curious
Type
critical
educational
When to use this quote
- studying literature
- analyzing novels
- writing fiction
- teaching reading comprehension
Key Concepts
unreliable narrator
reader awareness
meta‑narrative
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you identify an unreliable narrator?
- What effect does authorial flagging have on your reading experience?
A Different Perspective
The concept assumes readers are attentive enough to detect subtle signals, which may not hold for all audiences.
